Saturday: 2 U.S. Soldiers, 4 Iraqis Killed; 9 Iraqis Wounded

At least four Iraqis were killed and 9 more were wounded during light violence. A U.S. soldier was killed in combat in Baghdad, while the DoD reported another soldier died from non-combat-related injuries. Also, Iraqi officials formally opened a remodeled and renamed Abu Ghraib prison, which was infamous for a U.S. torture scandal.

In political news, a Kurdish politician, whose list won a third of the vote in Ninewa province, has said he is willing to work with Sunni Arabs so long as they respect Kurdish territorial claims. The Kurds would like the government to hold a referendum that will decide if historically Kurdish areas can politically join the Kurdish Autonomous Region.

Meanwhile, the Sadrists are nearing a coalition deal that will ally them Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The group was at odds with Maliki after their leader, Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, accused him of not doing enough to rid Iraq of U.S. forces.